PHILIPPINES' MYX INTERNATIONAL TOP 20 MUSIC VIDEOS FOR 2013 YEAR-END RESULTS

MYX International Top 20 Year-End Countdown 2013 Results Here! - MYX | YOUR CHOICE. YOUR MUSIC.

Last year, One Direction occupied the number one spot in the Philippines' international top 20 music videos for 2012 with their music video One Thing. This year, they did it again. They have four entries in this year's Philippines' top 20 international music videos. Thanks to the undying support of the Philippines' Directioners. 

Female artists are also strong contenders in this year's year-end countdown results. There are nine female artists who own the majority of this year's top 20 music videos.

But this year's top 20 international music videos would never be complete without K-pop music videos. Yes, K-pop is still strong; they are even stronger than last year. In fact, the first "Video of the Year" of the first Youtube Music Awards is a K-pop music video.

Next year, will One Direction still be able to rule the Philippines' Music Charts? Again, only time can tell. I have a suggestion to One Direction. Please have a concert here in the Philippines while you are still hot.

EXO - MIRACLES IN DECEMBER (Korean version)

Title: Miracles In December Artist: Exo Country: South Korea
This music video has two versions - the Korean version and the Chinese version. I'm using here the Korean version.
When this music video was released in the Philippines, it went straight to the number one spot in the international music countdown in the Philippines' music channel. 
This song is about a guy who lost the girl he loves because of his indifference and his self-centeredness. And now he misses the girl so much. He now realized how selfish he was, and how he just took the girl for granted. He wanted her back into his life which did not happen.
The video's wholesome concept, the beautiful song itself, the soulful voices of the singers, plus the very good acting skills and facial expressions of all the members of Exo, make for a very beautiful and heart-piercing music video. 

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS

  by  perry_marco 

Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American music group consists of three singing animated chipmunks. The members are: Alvin, the naughty one; Simon, the tall and bespectacled one; and Theodore, the chubby one. They are managed by their adoptive father David "Dave" Seville, which is actually the stage name of the group's creator Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. who created them in 1958 for a novelty record.

The chipmunks were named after the three executives of Liberty Records - Simon Waronker, All Bennett and Theodore Keep. The group's debut album Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks was released on January 1, 1959. To date, the group had released more than forty albums, including six Christmas albums and more than thirty singles.

Awards:

- 5 Grammy Awards

- 1 American Music Awards

- 1 Golden Reel Award

- 3 Kids Choice Awards

Reference:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_and_the_Chipmunks

- http://www.chipmunks.com/

THE JACKSON 5 - GIVE LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY LYRICS

CLICK HERE FOR GIVE LOVE ON CHRISTMAS DAY LYRICS

Choice quotes from the song:

"Give love on Christmas day."

"No greater gift is there than love."

"What the world needs is love."

This is one of the most popular Christmas songs worldwide by The Jackson 5, which was composed of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael Jackson. This song was from the album "Jackson 5 Christmas Album" which was released on October 15, 1970 (I was not born yet). It was written by Berry Gordy, Alphonso Mizell, Christine Perren, Fredie Perren and Deke Richards.

Although this was released in 1970, until now it is still one of the most requested Christmas songs in the Philippines. 

QUOTABLE TWEETS FROM ZAYN MALIK OF ONE DIRECTION

  by  DJRosstheboss 

July 24, 2011

And remember, nobody's feelings are more important than your own, so take time to love yourself.

July 28, 2011

Never think that it's too late for change, things can always get better.

September 14, 2011

I guess life always has a way of showing things you don't wanna see, but the more you resist the clearer things become.

September 15, 2011

Time is the most precious gift you can give someone because it's a portion of your life that you will never get back.

September 17, 2011

Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow. 

November 29, 2011

Don't ya hate it when blackberry goes really slow and you feel like punching it in the memory card.

November 29, 2011

A positive outlook on life is all you need, and after that, everything falls into place.

December 5, 2011

Get on with life, because life gets on without you.

March 30, 2012

If the love is real, it will rise above all else.

April 1, 2012

However many amazing things happen in your life, you should always be thankful for it, remain humble, modest and respectful.

AWARD WINNING ARTISTS DONATED SONGS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

International artists gave their songs for the album entitled Songs for the Philippines. The album is a compilation of songs from the biggest names in the music industry. It contain 39 songs. The purpose of the album is to raise money for the victims of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The artists, the different record companies and music publishers agreed to donate the sales of the album to the Philippine Red Cross. It was released on iTunes last November 25, 2013.

Thank you so much to all the artists who donated their songs for a good cause.

Thanks to: Adele; Alicia Keys; apl.de.ap; Beyonce; Bob Dylan; Bruno Mars; Cher; Earth, Wind & Fire; Ellie Goulding; Eminem; Enrique Iglesias; FUN.; Imagine Dragons; James Blunt; Jessica Sanchez; Josh Groban; Justin Bieber; Justin Timberlake; Katy Perry; Kelly Clarkson; Kings of Leon; Kylie Minogue; Lady Gaga; Lilly Allen; LINKIN PARK; Lorde; Madonna; Michael Buble; Muse; One Direction; Paolo Nutini; Pink; Pitbull; Red Hot Chili Peppers; Sara Barielles; The Beatles; The Fray; U2

                                               

WORLD YOUTH DAY 1995 THEME SONG - TELL THE WORLD OF HIS LOVE

Title: Tell The World of His Love

Originally Sung By: Raquel "Carelle" Mangaliag and Jeffrey Arcilla

Originally composed by: Trina Belamide

Country: Philippines

World Youth Day is a worldwide religious gathering of youth presided by a Pope. Every World Youth Day has had its own theme song. "Tell The World of His Love" is the theme song of the 1995 World Youth Day which was held in the Philippines.

In January 1994, a nationwide song-writing contest for the theme song of World Youth Day 1995 was launched in the Philippines. The entry "Tell The World of His Love" was chosen.

The song was composed by Trina Belamide whose real name is Katrina Marie Concepcion Ruiz Belamide. Prior to the contest, she has already been writing songs for different Filipino artists for three years.

In an interview, Ms. Belamide was asked how she came out with the beautiful lyrics and the melody of the song. Ms. Belamide explained, "I started the song with the title, Tell The World of His Love, and I built it from there. Actually, I didn't have a rough time writing the lyrics. I had a rough time with the melody. I had a clear vision of what I really wanted. I wanted the people to sway with the music. And I pictured them with a "lighter" in their hands as they sang it. I wanted a melody that could easily get the "feel" of the youth."

As a Filipino, I'm so proud of this song. It was played at St. Peter's Square on the day of Pope John Paul II's beatification. It was reportedly one of the late Pope's favorite songs.

Note: The above music video is not the official music video of Tell The World of His Love. I choose this video because it plays the original version of the song which was the carrier single of the official World Youth Day album that was released in a limited tape edition. This version was the one used months before, during and after the World Youth Day. I was one of the millions of participants of WYD 1995, and this version is the one that always brings back all the wonderful memories that I have of World Youth Day 1995.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: LEA SALONGA

cc photo by FrankTang on Wikimedia Commons

Real Name: Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga

Birthday: February 22, 1971

Birthplace: Angeles City, Philippines

Lea Salonga is a Filipina singer and actress. She is one of the Philippines' pride especially in the field of music. She started her career in 1978 at the age of seven in the musical The King and I. This was followed by Annie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Fiddler on the Roof, The Rose T, The Goodbye Girl, Paper Moon, and The Fantasticks. She was also one of the original members of the defunct Filipino youth-oriented talent and variety show That's Entertainment (1986-1996). She also starred in several Philippine movies.

1989 - Lea was chosen to play the role of Kim in the London musical Miss Saigon. She is the original Kim.

1991 - Played Kim in the Broadway presentation of Miss Saigon.

1992 - Did the singing voice of Jasmine in the movie Aladdin.

1993 - Performed the song A Whole New World of Disney's film Aladdin with Brad Kane at the 65th Annual Oscar Awards. The song won Best Original Song.

1998 - Did the singing voice of Fa Mulan in the movie Mulan.

2000 - Played Kim in the musical Miss Saigon in her country, the Philippines.

2002 - Played the role of a Chinese immigrant in the Broadway musical Flower Drum Song.

2004 - Did the singing voice of Fa Mulan in the movie Mulan II.

2010 - Performed as Fantine at the Les Miserables: 25th Anniversary Concert.

Awards and Citations:

1989 - Laurence Olivier Award - Best Actress in a Musical 

1990 - Received a Presidential Award of Merit from the late Philippine President Corazon Aquino.

1991 - Tony Award - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

1991 - Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Actress in a Musical 

1991 - Theater World Award 

2003 - Aliw Awards (Philippines) - Entertainer of the Year for her concert entitled Songs from Home

2005 - Golden Artist Award from FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences) in honor of her international achievements

2007 - Received the Order of Lakandula Award from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The award is one of the highest honors given by the Republic of the Philippines to individuals in recognition of their excellence in their craft.

2008 - Special Citation from Awit Awards (Philippines' equivalent to Grammy Awards)

2011 - Named Disney Legend for her extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company

BASSILYO - LORD PATAWAD LYRICS

CLICK HERE FOR LORD PATAWAD LYRICS

Lord Patawad, in English "Lord, forgive me."

This song was written by the artist himself - Bassilyo - way back in 2008. It talks about his wrongdoings and his sins against the Lord. It talks about how he just ignores the Lord and only remembers Him when he is in need or when he has problems.

He realized that nobody is perfect, and that each one of us has his own shortcomings when it comes to our personal relationship with God in spite of the Lord's goodness, thus he asked the Lord for forgiveness.

According to Bassilyo, 90% of the lyrics are based from the real story of his life and 10% from what he sees and observed from the people around him, from his immediate environment.

O.P.M. - ORIGINAL PHILIPPINE MUSIC

What is O.P.M.? OPM means Original Philippine Music or Original Pilipino Music. 

From what I understand about OPM, OPM are songs or music that are originally written and composed by Filipinos.

OPM music is very diverse. It does not concentrate only on one genre. It encompasses all types of music. But the most popular types of music are pop, ballad or more known as "love songs", rock and hip-hop.

Since the Philippines is a bilingual country - it has two official languages: Filipino (the national language) based on Tagalog; and English - OPM songs are either written in Tagalog or in English.

One cannot pinpoint which type of music that clearly identifies Philippines' musical preference. Every era has its own type of music, for example, during the late 60's and the 70's, love songs dominated the Philippines' airwaves. But rock music also known as Pinoy rock was also the music of choice by the younger generations during the late 70's. It was also during the 70's that Filipino songwriters started to write English songs.

Disco songs or dance-pop music flourished during the 80's. It was also during the early 80's that hip-hop music started to take root in the Philippines, in fact, the Philippines is the first Asian country to have hip-hop music. But it was only during the 1990's that hip-hop music rose to prominence. Along with the rise of hip-hop music was also the return of rock music which was so popular among college students who formed different rock bands.

At the start of 2000, OPM music has gradually changed. Pop music started to emerge again and new music genres are being appreciated by the Filipinos such as R&B, reggae and lately bossa nova. There is also a type of music that has a huge following among OPM music lovers, and that is the acoustic versions of current and past popular songs.

As of the present, even though it was rumored that OPM has died, OPM is still as strong as ever. It still managed to be on the top three or even at the number one spot in the Philippines' music charts in spite of the popularity of Kpop music and the usual American and European music. One thing is for sure, OPM will never die, it will always emerge and re-emerge as time goes by.

SINEAD O'CONNOR'S LETTER TO MILEY CYRUS

The Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O'Connor, who was the voice behind the massive 1990 hit single "Nothing Compares 2 U" which was originally written and composed by Prince, gave some words of wisdom to Miley Cyrus in an open letter after being told that Miley's music video "Wrecking Ball" was inspired by Sinead's video "Nothing Compares 2 U".

The open letter draw numerous comments from readers worldwide, majority of which agrees with Sinead O' Connor's genuine motherly concern towards Miley.

Sinead started her letter with these words "So this is what I need to say ... And it is said in the spirit of motherliness and with love."

She told Miley that she is extremely concerned for her, "I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping.

O' Connor, who have been in the music business since the late 80's warned Miley that the music business doesn't really care about her or any other artists, and that all they care about is making lots of money at the expense of the artists' innocence. "They're there for the money .. we're there for the music." 

O' Connor believes in Miley's talent but advised her that she does not need to let the music business make a prostitute of her and that she ought to be protected as a young lady. "You ought be protected as a precious young lady by anyone in your employ and anyone around you, including you. You are worth more than your body or your sexual appeal."

She further encouraged Miley to send healthier messages to her peers ... "That they and you are worth more than what is currently going on in your career."

Sinead O' Connor's entire letter to Miley Cyrus is no longer available in her website http://www.sineadoconnor.com

BRITNEY SPEARS - LUCKY

Title: Lucky Artist: Britney Spears Country: U.S.A.
According to U.K.'s Official Charts Company, "Lucky" is Britney's tenth best-selling single in the country. This song also peaked at number one in the music charts of Austria, Europe, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.
I like the message of this video. It shows us some of the realities behind celebrities' success. It shows us that winning awards, blockbuster movies, or string of number one platinum albums and singles are not enough to make a person truly happy. Sure, you are on top of the world but isn't it lonely up there when you have no one to share your success with? You are happy only by yourself. And then what happens when all of these temporary victories stop?
To summarize the message of this video: fame and fortune is not everything in this world, just ask Britney.

QUOTES FROM AMY LEE, AVRIL LAVIGNE AND BEYONCE

     "You don't have to be half-naked to be successful.  Just be talented.

- Amy Lee

Lead vocalist of Evanescence

I think Amy Lee is referring to those female artists who show-off their bodies during concerts and in their music videos instead of showcasing their real musical talents.

     "Actually, I know for a fact there are some young female artists who don't even sing on their own records and who don't sing live.  And that is pathetic." (about lipsynching)

- Avril Lavigne

     "Your self-worth is determined by you. You don't have to depend on someone telling you who you are.

- Beyonce'

CHRISTINA AGUILERA - REFLECTION Lyrics

CHRISTINA AGUILERA - REFLECTION Lyrics

Choice quotes from the song:

"I can fool the world, but I cannot fool my heart."

"I will show the world what's inside my heart

and be loved for who I am."

"Why must we all conceal, what we think, how we feel?"

"I won't pretend that I'm someone else for all time."

One of my all-time favorite quotations is from Kurt Cobain who stated "I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not."

I agree with Kurt Cobain. What is the use of being loved when the person they really love is not the real you. Who are you fooling? The only person that you cannot fool is yourself. 

It is so uncomfortable to pretend just to please other people, it is hard to be someone else, because sooner or later, our true self will surface, our true colors will come out.

On the other hand, it is so nice to be liked or loved just the way you are, to be accepted and appreciated just the way you are. So whether people will like you or not, just be yourself. You cannot please everybody anyway.

MUSIC TRIVIA: SUCCESSFUL MOUSEKETEERS

Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake have one thing in common.  All of them were Mouseketeers.  What is Mouseketeers?  Mouseketeers are the main cast members of The Mickey Mouse Club, an American children’s variety television show (1955-1994) that featured child performers.

Christina Aguilera auditioned for a role on the Club in 1991, but it was only two years later that she was accepted due to the show’s age requirement. In the show, she performed sketch comedy and musical numbers where she was nicknamed “The Diva” by her fellow members that also include actor Ryan Gosling.

At age eight, Britney Spears auditioned in the Mickey Mouse Club but she was rejected by the casting director for being too young. She was only accepted in December 1992. And Justin Timberlake was a cast member for two years in 1993 to 1994.

The Mickey Mouse Club may have ended in 1994 but it was one of the starting points for the successful careers of Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

ONE DIRECTION’S HARRY STYLES IS RUMORED TO BE GAY

  by  BrittneyATambeau 

The latest news about One Direction is that their youngest member Harry Styles was rumored to be gay because of his close friendship with British DJ Nick Grimshaw. Harry said, that they're just friends. He finds the gossips funny, ridiculous and annoying. He said that it can be frustrating when it affects his loved ones.

Louis Tomlinson, Harry’s bandmate and One Direction’s eldest was also rumored to be gay. Their rival boy band The Wanted has reportedly accused him of being gay, but he explained that he’s attracted to females only that, the type of girls that want to sleep with him in a heartbeat are not the type of girls he’d want to take home. (That’s nice Louis!)

I’m not a fan of One Direction, but this gossip is just so funny. I don’t understand the media. If One Direction members go out on dates with different girls, they make a big fuss out of it, and if they hang out with guy pals they also make a big fuss out of it. Well, as what the saying goes “Good publicity or bad publicity is STILL a publicity.” I think, that’s the price One Direction has to pay for being so popular.

Reference:
http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news

ONE DIRECTION - ONE THING (ACOUSTIC VIDEO)

Title: One Thing (Acoustic version) Artist: One Direction Country: U.K.
I like this acoustic version of the song "One Thing" because it showcased each of the members' voice. If there is one thing One Direction is very good at is in harmonizing and blending their voices. They are so amazing vocally. 
This song was their second hit from their number one album "Up All Night". It was certified 4x platinum in Australia, 3x platinum in Norway, 2x platinum in Canada and a platinum in the U.S., and it was the number one music video for 2012 in the music channel in the Philippines.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: ONE DIRECTION

  by  directioner_44 

From left to right: Louis, Zayn, Niall, Liam and Harry 

Members:

Louis Tomlinson

Date of Birth: December 24, 1991

Birthplace: Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England

Zayn Malik

Date of Birth: January 12, 1993

Birthplace: Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

Liam Payne

Date of Birth: August 29, 1993

Birthplace: Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England

Niall Horan

Date of Birth: September 13, 1993

Birthplace: Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland

Harry Styles

Date of Birth: February 1, 1994

Birthplace: Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England

One Direction is an English-Irish boy band. The group was formed during the U.K.’s The X Factor 7^th series in 2010.  Each of the members of the group joined The X Factor as solo contenders for the Boys Category but none of them succeed. Guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested that the boys joined together as a five member group. They qualified and made it to the Group Category. It was Harry Styles who gave the name One Direction to their group. They eventually finished third at the The X Factor’s finals.

After The X Factor, they signed with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Records. Their first album “Up All Night” was released internationally in 2012. It reached the number one spot in the U.S. Billboard Charts. They are the first British Group in the U.S. chart history to reach number one in the charts for their debut album.

Awards:

Billboard Music Awards

2013 – Top Duo/Group

           New Artist of the Year

           Top Pop Artist

Brit Awards

2013 – Brits Global Success

Japan Gold Disk Awards

2013 – New Artist of the Year (Western)

MTV Awards

2012 – MTV’s Artist of the Year

MTV Europe Music Awards

2012 – Best New Act

            Best UK and Ireland Act

MTV Video Music Awards

2012 – Best New Artist

JESSIE J - PRICE TAG LYRICS

JESSIE J - PRICE TAG Lyrics

 Choice quotes from the song:

"Money can't buy us happiness."

"It's like this man, you can't put a price
 on the life."

Even if you are swimming in an ocean of money, still you can’t be genuinely happy, and the value of our life is more than all the money in this world. People think that if they have plenty of money they can buy the moon and the stars, but take note, money can’t just buy everything in this world.

Money can buy a bed, but not sleep.

Money can buy foods, but not appetite.

Money can buy sex, but not true love

Money can buy a house, but not a home.

Money can buy people, but not God.

I don’t know the original author of the above quotes. There are so many variations of these quotes, but this is the simplest one.

MUSIC TRIVIA: SUCCESSFUL NON-WINNERS

What do One Direction, Jennifer Hudson and Christina Aguilera have in common? All of them were non-winners from music competitions.

In 1990, when Christina Aguilera was only eight years old, she competed in Star Search, a television show that was produced from 1983-1995. Aguilera placed second in the female vocalist category.

Jennifer Hudson joined the American Idol’s third season (2004-2005) but ended only as a seventh placer.  Hudson’s elimination from the competition was considered by MTV as the most shocking of all time.

U.K.’s X-Factor was One Direction’s starting point. Each member of One Direction auditioned as solo contestants for the “Boys” category, but none of them succeed. At the suggestion of guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, they were put together as a group, and became qualified for the “Groups” category. They finished third at the finals.

Aguilera, Hudson and One Direction may not be the big winners of Star Search, American Idol and X Factor, respectively, but they are among the music industry’s most successful artists.

TOP 20 INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEOS IN THE PHILIPPINES' CHARTS

MYX International Top 20 (June 29 - July 5, 2013)

11. Treasure - Bruno Mars

12. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton

13. 22 - Taylor Swift

14. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake

15. Trap - Henry feat. Kyuhyun & Taemin

16. Pretty Brown Eyes - Cody Simpson

17. Popular Song - Mika feat. Ariana Grande

18. What About Love - Austin Mahone

19. See You Again - Carrie Underwood

20. Crazy Kids - Kesha

Taylor Swift is one of the many artists whose music videos are always on the top 20 in the Philippines' music chart. Here in this list, her music video is at the 13th spot, but the truth is, it is already on its 15th week on the chart and even peaked at the top spot for many weeks. 

Click on the link above to know the top 10 international music videos. Some of the music videos on the top 10 are the videos of Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Maroon 5, Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift. Find out whose music video is on the number 1 spot.

ABBA - DANCING QUEEN

Title: Dancing Queen

Artist: ABBA

Country: Sweden

This is ABBA’s biggest hit of all time. It was released worldwide in 1976. It was the first song that was given an International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) in 1995. The ISWC is a unique identifier for musical works similar to ISBN for books.

This song was number one in the music charts of Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Eurochart 100, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Rhodesia, South Africa, Soviet, U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and of course Sweden.

This is a song that I never get tired of listening. Though it was released in 1976, this song is always fresh. For me, good music never fades. And no matter how many times this song is covered and revived by different artist, the original version is always the best.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: ABBA

cc photo, author: AVRO on Wikimedia Commons

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden.  Each of the letters of the name ABBA was taken from the first letters of the names of the members - Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni-Frid

Members:

Agnetha Fältskog

born on April 5, 1950

Björn Ulvaeus 

born on April 25, 1945

Benny Andersson 

born on December 16, 1946

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad

a.k.a. Frida Lyngstad

born on November 15, 1945

All the members were born in Sweden except for Frida who was born in Norway.

ABBA got their break when their song "Waterloo" won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 for Sweden. The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual song competition in Europe. ABBA's song "Waterloo" was the song that opens the doors for them to international stardom. Later, this was followed by numerous albums and singles that sold millions of copies worldwide. From 1972 to 1982, their singles and albums topped the music charts of many countries. They were reportedly the first pop group from a non-English speaking country who enjoyed tremendous success in the music charts of English speaking countries. During their active years, Agnetha and Björn; and Frida and Benny were married couples but divorced in 1979 and 1981, respectively.

The group's last studio album was "The Visitors" released in November 1981, and the group's last public performance as ABBA was in July 1982 at the British TV program The Late, Late Breakfast Show. The group dissolved without issuing any official statement or announcement. But according to vocalgroup.org, ABBA officially disbanded after the release of their single "Under Attack" in December 1982. All in all, ABBA had released 8 studio albums, 73 singles and 38 music videos. In 1983 and 2000, ABBA postage stamps were issued by the Swedish Postal Service.

Awards:

1980 - Georgie Award as the Best Vocal Group of the Year

            from the American Guild of Variety Artists

1992 - received Honorary Gramis Award

           Gramis Award (Sweden's equivalent to Grammy Awards)

1993 - Best Selling Swedish Artist of the Year

            from the World Music Awards

2002 - inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame

2010 - inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abba

ABBA - THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC LYRICS

ABBA - THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC LYRICS

Choice quotes from the song:

Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty?
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?

Imagine life without music. What would life be? 

Music is very useful and important. You can hear music everywhere. Even in churches and places of worship, there is music, of course some prayers are sung instead of being recited.

Music is part of our lives. It grows with us, it stays with us. It will even outlive us. Thank you for the music.

MUSIC IS LIFE'S CONSTANT COMPANION

     Music forms part of all cultures and, we could say, accompanies all human experiences, from suffering to pleasure, from hatred to love, from sadness to joy, from death to life.

- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

So true, I agree with these words from the former pope. Not every person we love accompanies us in all of our experiences in life, but music is always available for us. Friends come and go, even spouses come and go, but music accompanies us in every moment of our lives until death.

AEROSMITH'S FIRST CONCERT IN THE PHILIPPINES

May 8, 2013 was the date of Aerosmith's first ever concert in the Philippines. The Philippines is one of three Asian countries that are part of Aerosmith's concert tour "Global Warming Tour" to eight countries, namely: U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Mexico. 

Unfortunately for their Indonesian fans, their concert in Indonesia was cancelled due to safety concerns. They arrived in the Philippines three days earlier on May 5, 2013.

Last night's concert was one of the most unforgettable concerts in the Philippines. The concert venue was filled with enthusiastic music lovers that include well-known Filipino celebrities.

Aerosmith did not disappoint their Filipino fans as they sang all of their hit songs especially the most loved song "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" which was a very big hit in the Philippines. What the audience really loved the most was that vocalist Steven Tyler's singing prowess is still as powerful as ever. Also highlighting the concert was the sterling solo performance of Joey Kramer on drums. On the other hand, Joe Perry has proven once again that he is a consistent excellent guitarist. 

It was so amazing to see five persons on stage who gave 100% of their energy to their performance for their fans in spite of the fact that the band's members are already in their 60's.  Present day bands have a lot to learn from these veterans. Their amazing first Philippine concert was truly worth the wait. If I have to describe Aerosmith's concert in one word, it was 'epic'. Thank you Aerosmith for an amazing and memorable concert. Hope it won't be the last.

Here is Aerosmith's lead guitarist Joe Perry's beautiful tweet:

N SYNC - (GOD MUST HAVE SPENT) A LITTLE MORE TIME ON YOU

Title: (God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You

Artist: N Sync

Country: U.S.A.

This is one of N Sync's most unforgettable music videos, and the song is also one of N Sync's best songs. This is far different from their earlier music videos that have lively and carefree theme fit for teenyboppers. This music video has a serious and mature tone. This is about the beautiful bond between a mother and her son.

Since we are in the month of May which is the month of Mother's Day, I would like to dedicate this music video to all the mothers in the world, especially to my colleagues who are mothers.

I may not have the best and perfect mother in this world, but I am proud of my mother for giving me life, for welcoming me into this world. How many babies out there who were not given the chance to live because their mothers aborted them? I know it is not easy to take care and raise a child, it takes a lot of sacrifices, but my mom took care of me and my siblings even in the absence of a father, and for that, THANK YOU MAMA! God bless you always.

ARTISTS AT A GLANCE: MENUDO

Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band consists of five members formed by Puerto Rican producer Edgardo Diaz in 1977.

Menudo was a different boy band. What sets them apart from other boy bands was that all the members were perpetually young. How can this be? A member is replaced when he reached his 16th birthday, or his voice changed, or he became too tall. Majority of Menudo members joined the group at an early age of twelve or thirteen. 

The group's name came from Diaz's sister who upon seeing them practicing at their garage exclaimed, "Cuanto menudo hay aqui!" (What a lot of young folk we have here!). From then on, the group was named Menudo.

Menudo's original members were Diaz's cousins Carlos Melendez, Oscar Melendez, Ricky Melendez and brothers Nefty and Fernando Sallabery. Menudo achieved tremendous success during the early 80's when they started to recruit members who can speak English and record English songs.

If today we have Bieber fever, the early 80's had Menudomania. This word swept across Latin America particularly in Brazil where Menudo had the biggest following. Menudomania also reached Asia's Philippines and Japan. In the Philippines, they had more than two successful concerts and had even made an English-Tagalog album "In Action" which contains the song "I'm Going Back To The Philippines", a special song which is a tribute to their Filipino fans. They also had sold out concerts in Japan.

One of the disadvantages of their formula of replacing members was that when a member leaves the group, that member's fans lose their interest in the group. That's why the group's popularity waned in the late 80's. Eventually, Menudo ended in 1997.

All in all, Menudo had more than thirty five members, and more than thirty albums in Puerto Rican, English and Portuguese languages. Menudo's most famous alumni were Ricky Martin who joined the group when he was only twelve years old; and Draco Rosa who was one of the writers of Ricky Martin's big hits such as "The Cup of Life" (the official song for the 1998 FIFA World Cup) and "Livin La Vida Loca", just to name a few. Draco Rosa was also one of the producers of Ricky Martin's Grammy award-winning album"Vuelve".

Boy bands come and go, but certainly, Menudo was and is one of the best boy bands in the world. 

BACKSTREET BOYS - LARGER THAN LIFE LYRICS

BACKSTREET BOYS - LARGER THAN LIFE LYRICS

Choice quotes from the song:

"But let me tell you now there are prices to fame, alright."

"All you people can't you see, can't you see

How your love's affecting our reality

Every time we're down, you can make it right

And that makes you larger than life."

All celebrities know that there are always prices to fame. Some of these is being followed by fans wherever they go and losing their privacy. Sometimes, fans get over excited that they become so annoying. But in spite of these, these fans play a great role in a celebrity's success.

This song is a tribute to the fans and supporters of Backstreet Boys. One of the writers of this song is one of the group's members Brian Littrell. 

Thanks to Backstreet Boys for acknowledging the love and support of their fans through this song.